- Taiwan: Regime completes US tank deal as final Abrams shipment reaches port
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Taiwan has received its final shipment of US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks, completing a long-delayed order aimed at modernising the island’s ageing armoured forces. Considered among the world’s most powerful tanks, these vehicles are expected to bolster the island’s defence amid rising military pressure from Beijing. … The delivery completes Taiwan’s 2019 purchase of 108 tanks from the US as part of a package worth about NT$40.5 billion (US$1.29 billion), which also included M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicles and heavy transporters.” (04/27/26)
- FL: DeSatanist unveils new gerrymander map
Source: CNN
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a new map for US House districts that appears to show Republicans gaining an advantage in four seats now held by Democrats. His proposal, released one day before the Florida Legislature opens a special session, targets a Tampa-area district held by Rep. Kathy Castor as well as an Orlando-area district held by Rep. Darren Soto. It also redraws districts in South Florida for Republican advantage. It’s the latest salvo in a coast-to-coast redistricting fight that President Donald Trump kicked off last year when Texas drew new lines at his behest. Just last week, Virginia voters approved a referendum that could give Democrats better chances at four US House seats in the state.” (04/27/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/27/politics/desantis-proposes-new-us-house-map-florida
- Pope prays with Archbishop of Canterbury in historic encounter, vows dialogue
Source: Associated Press
“Pope Leo XIV prayed Monday in the Vatican with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, and vowed to keep working to overcome differences ‘no matter how intractable they may appear,’ in a historic meeting with the first female leader of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion. The encounter between Christianity’s two most famous religious figures would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, given the divisions between their two churches over women’s ordination in general and Mullally’s appointment in particular. Leo acknowledged that ‘new problems’ in their relationship had been added onto ‘historically divisive issues.’ But he nevertheless vowed to continue the tradition of past popes to continue to try to reunite the churches. Anglicans split from Rome in 1534, when English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment.” (04/27/26)
https://apnews.com/article/pope-mullally-anglican-church-1bab05ed0b4224347fbd688d02fc6ee3
- MI: Feds order immediate inspection of Cheboygan Dam powerhouse
Source: SFGate
“Federal energy regulators have ordered immediate inspections of the Cheboygan Dam powerhouse and other Michigan dams that faced the risk of failure in this month’s historic flooding. Separately, state officials said they plan to inspect dams under their oversight to check for damage from the high waters that nearly overtook several impoundments last week amid spring snowmelt and heavy rains. After similar flooding in 1986, ‘a couple of dams failed weeks later because they sustained damage that didn’t get adequately assessed,’ Luke Trumble, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s dam safety chief, told Bridge Michigan. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in a Thursday letter ordered Hom Paper XI LLC, the owner of the Cheboygan Dam powerhouse, to file a report no later than May 15 detailing how it will keep operational a powerhouse that was reactivated as an emergency measure April 17.” (04/27/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/feds-order-immediate-inspection-of-cheboygan-dam-22228290.php
- Mali: Russian fighters confirm withdrawal from northern city after separatist attacks
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“After a weekend of co-ordinated attacks across Mali by separatist fighters and Islamist militants, Russian forces who are in the country helping protect the military government have confirmed they have pulled out of the northern city of Kidal. In a series of social media posts, Russia’s Africa Corps said they had ‘left the locality’ along with Malian troops. The separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) group said on Sunday the Russian troops had agreed to withdraw permanently, and claimed control of Kidal, declaring it ‘now free’. Mali has faced insurgencies for years from the separatists in the north, and groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. On Saturday, explosions and sustained gunfire were reported in multiple parts of Mali, including the capital, Bamako.” (04/27/26)
- SCOTUS Formally Reinstates Texas Gerrymander
Source: US News & World Report
“The U.S. Supreme Court formally reinstated on Monday a redrawn Texas electoral map that was designed to add more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives, as President Donald Trump’s party seeks to keep control of Congress in the November congressional elections. The move by the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, formalizes an interim decision it made in December to revive the map of U.S. House districts in Texas. … The Supreme Court in February allowed California to use a new electoral map designed to give Democrats five more congressional seats after that Democratic-led state redrew its House districts in response to the action by Republicans in Texas.” (04/27/26)
- IL: Robbery suspect charged with murder, attempted murder of Chicago police officers at a hospital
Source: SFGate
“A robbery suspect now faces murder and attempted murder charges along with a long list of other felony counts in the shooting death of a Chicago police officer and the wounding of another at a hospital where they took him for treatment. Alphanso Talley, 26, was scheduled to make his first appearance Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, the state’s attorney’s office said. Officer John Bartholomew, 38, a 10-year veteran of the force, was pronounced dead just before 1 p.m. Saturday after being shot at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. A second officer was critically wounded in the Saturday morning shooting, police said. His name was not immediately released..” (04/27/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/robbery-suspect-charged-with-murder-attempted-22228152.php
- China: Regime blocks Meta’s $2 billion takeover of AI startup Manus
Source: CNBC
“China’s state planner on Monday called for Meta to unwind its $2 billion acquisition of Manus, a Singaporean artificial intelligence startup with Chinese roots. The decision to prohibit foreign investment in Manus was made in accordance with laws and regulations, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a brief statement. It added that it has asked the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction. … The deal had attracted scrutiny from both China and Washington, as lawmakers in the U.S. have prohibited American investors from backing Chinese AI companies directly. Meanwhile, Beijing has increased efforts to discourage Chinese AI founders from moving business offshore.” (04/27/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/27/meta-manus-china-blocks-acquisition-ai-startup.html
- Sri Lanka: Monks arrested after 110kg of cannabis discovered in their luggage
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Twenty-two monks have been arrested at an airport in Sri Lanka after officials discovered 110kg (242lbs) of cannabis concealed in their luggage. Customs officials said each monk was found with around 5kg of Kush — a particularly potent form of the drug — hidden within ‘false walls’ in their luggage when they arrived in the capital Colombo on Saturday. The monks, who were mainly students, were returning from Thailand after being treated to an all-expenses-paid four-day holiday by an unnamed sponsor when they were detained. A 23rd monk, believed to have organised the trip, has since been arrested in a suburb of Colombo, police told BBC Sinhala. According to the acting police spokesman, the monk — who did not join the trip — had told the other monks that ‘these parcels are a donation’ and that a van would come to collect the packages.” (04/27/26)
- SC: Measles outbreak is over, after sickening nearly 1,000 people
Source: SFGate
“South Carolina’s measles outbreak — the worst in the U.S. in more than 35 years — is over, state health officials declared Monday. On Sunday, the state passed the threshold of 42 days with no new outbreak-related cases. In the end, 997 people were sickened by the vaccine-preventable disease since October and at least 21 of them were hospitalized, based on voluntary reports to the state. State health officials estimate the outbreak response cost $2.1 million. ‘The outbreak was predominantly contained to one area of one county and never went statewide, thanks to timely investigations, identification of those exposed, and people’s willingness to stay home,’ said Dr. Edward Simmer, interim director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health.” [editor’s note: I caught the measles at around age 10 or 11; it was no fun, and I spent about a week in lowered light, running from bed to bathroom and back, but it was far from fatal – SAT] (04/27/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/south-carolina-s-measles-outbreak-is-over-after-22228292.php
- Progressivism’s attack dog SPLC blows itself up
Source: Washington Times
by Robert Knight“‘He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.’ (Psalm 7:15) The Southern Poverty Law Center, famous for battling ‘hate groups’, helped stoke hate by funneling millions of dollars to the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and other extremists and engaged in criminal activity to cover it up, according to the Justice Department. Announcing an indictment with 11 counts Tuesday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that from 2014 to 2023, the SPLC paid big bucks to leaders at the Ku Klux Klan, the United Klans of America, Unite the Right, National Alliance, the National Socialist Movement, the Aryan Nation Motorcycle Club, the National Socialist Party of America and the American Front.” (04/27/26)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/26/progressivisms-attack-dog-splc-blows/
- Lawmakers want to force Californians to take anti-hate speech training
Source: Expression
by Greg Gonzalez & Adam Goldstein“California lawmakers are considering two bills that would make ‘anti-hate speech training’ a requirement. Assembly Bill 1803 would require employers with five or more employees to incorporate such training into existing, already-mandated sexual harassment prevention programs. Under Assembly Bill 1578, a similar training would be mandated for all state and local elected officials. … But ‘hate speech’ includes speech protected by the First Amendment — speech the government has no business trying to snuff out with legal mandates. But also, it has no clear or consistent definition. Because of that vagueness, efforts to regulate ‘hate speech’ risk giving the government sweeping authority to suppress views it doesn’t like.” (04/27/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/lawmakers-want-to-force-californians
- What Happens if America Nationalizes AI?
Source: The Atlantic
by Matteo Wong & Lila Shroff“AI companies are beginning to entertain the possibility that they could cease to exist. This notion was, until recently, more theoretical: A couple of years ago, an ex-OpenAI employee named Leopold Aschenbrenner wrote a lengthy memo speculating that the U.S. government might soon take control of the industry. By 2026 or 2027, Aschenbrenner wrote, an ‘obvious question’ will be circling through the Pentagon and Congress: Do we need a government-led program for artificial general intelligence — an AGI Manhattan Project? He predicted that Washington would decide to go all in on such an effort.
Aschenbrenner may have been prescient.” (04/27/26) - Reining in the Pentagon: Can the Military-Industrial Beast Be Tamed?
Source: TomDispatch
by William D Hartung“Right at this moment, we are witnessing an unprecedented shift of resources from domestic investments in the United States to the military-industrial complex (aka the war machine). The only comparable period in our history was the buildup to World War II, when the United States confronted a powerful adversary in Nazi Germany with designs to control not just Europe, but the world. The current buildup is breathtaking in scope and will certainly prove devastating in its impact — not just on this country’s foreign and domestic policies but also on the economic prospects of average Americans. When, in 2023, my colleague Ben Freeman and I first conceived of our book, The Trillion Dollar War Machine, we viewed it in part as a cautionary tale about just how high the Pentagon budget might rise in the years to come (absent pushback from Congress and the taxpaying public).” (04/26/26)
- Continued Right-Wing Obtuseness on the Drug War
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“The obtuseness regarding the U.S. drug war that has long afflicted American conservatives never ceases to amaze me. I just cannot understand how intelligent people can be so steadfastly ignorant when it comes to this manifestly evil and immoral federal program. Yet another example of this strange phenomenon comes from a right-winger named Joshua Treviño, who serves in two conservative organizations — the America First Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Texas Public Policy Institute in Austin, Texas. I’m not sure how old Treviño is but …. He obviously is a smart man and he’s clearly old enough to be able to figure things out. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to the drug war, he remains steadfastly obtuse, just like almost every other right-winger in America.” (04/27/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/04/27/continued-right-wing-obtuseness-on-the-drug-war/
- The “No Kings” Movement Is Sheer Hypocrisy
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis“I’m convinced that the majority of people who take part in the ‘No Kings’ marches have absolutely no idea what they are doing. The Democratic masses are, sadly but inexcusably, nothing but ignorant, foolish sheep, being led to the slaughter by their ‘shepherds,’ who are wolves in wool. The sheep are taught to hate Donald Trump, and so, like Pavlov’s dogs, when the bell rings, they slobber and shout ‘Nazi!’ ‘No king!’ etc. Many of them probably actually believe Donald Trump wants to be king. It will never happen, even if Trump wanted it. You and I wouldn’t allow it. That’s what we rebelled against, remember. But while the Democratic masses are ignorant sheep, their ‘shepherds’ know exactly what they are doing and what they want.” (04/26/26)
- Those Fit to Rule
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders“On the Search for Our Rulers, Descended from Above.” (04/27/26)
- Trump’s Epic Stupidity Could Kill Millions of People
Source: Beat the Press
by Dean Baker“Trump is both an incredibly ignorant person and incredibly dishonest person. As a result, when he claims ignorance of an obvious fact it is difficult to tell whether he really is as ignorant as he claims or he’s just lying. Such is the case with Trump’s claim that he didn’t know Iran might attack its neighbors and close the Strait of Hormuz in response to his joint attack with Israel. Trump insisted that none of the experts thought this possible when in effect just about every expert thought it was both possible and likely. Given Trump’s ignorance and propensity to lie, it is not easy to know whether Trump actually went to war totally unaware of the most likely consequences, or instead went to war anyhow, deciding that he didn’t care about the damage it would cause.” (04/27/26)
https://cepr.net/publications/trumps-ignorance-could-kill-millions/
- America Is Losing Its Allure for the World’s Migrants
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“A plaque on the Statue of Liberty features Emma Lazarus’s words urging the world to ‘give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’ In his farewell address, then-President Ronald Reagan referred to the United States as a ‘shining city upon a hill’ and added that in his vision, ‘if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.’ But despite its continuing success, the U.S. is becoming a less attractive destination for people around the world. Currently-ascendant nativists want to close America’s doors and turn away the huddled masses, and the message is being received loud and clear.” (04/27/26)
https://reason.com/2026/04/27/america-is-losing-its-allure-for-the-worlds-migrants/
- They Went Hard Against Woke. And Then … Went Even Harder Against Trump
Source: Persuasion
by Cathy Young“Don’t blame the free speech crowd for Trump’s assaults on free expression.” (04/27/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/dont-blame-the-anti-woke-crowd-for
- After Machiavelli
Source: Law & Liberty
by Ferenc Hörcher“The vision of prudence Francisco Suárez provides can save virtue from a Machiavellian faithlessness.” (04/27/26)
- Virginia Democrats’ map scheme faces judgment at the high court
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley“As Virginia heads to the state Supreme Court, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones (D) will have to up his game a bit. For starters, he will have to actually defend the redistricting resolution as constitutional when prompted. In a recent interview with CNN, even the host of the friendly network expressed frustration that Jones could not seem to get himself to actually defend the dubious language of the ballot measure. Many of us have expressed skepticism over the process and language of the resolution that passed this week, effectively wiping out all but one GOP district in the purple state. Virginia was considered the gold standard among states rejecting gerrymandering with fairly divided districts in a state that is divided right down the middle.” (04/26/26)
- Trump: When the only friends you have left are Bushies and neocons
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jack Hunter“The warmaking president is shedding his base. But the last ones on the MAGA bus may be the first to leap off at any sign of political trouble.” (04/27/26)
- When a Chicken Isn’t Just a Chicken
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Patrick J Lee“A man stands at a farmers market stall. His wife is talking to the farmer. He picks up a chicken. Paper-wrapped, no barcode, a handwritten tag on the twine. He holds it close to read the label and sets it back down fast. The price is an insult. What are these people thinking? A minute later, another man reaches for the same bird, reads the same label, and smiles. What a deal. Same chicken, same label, same words. … Mises was clear that prices don’t emerge from some objective measure of worth. They emerge from subjective valuations, each party to an exchange believing—at the moment of transaction—that what he receives is worth more than what he gives up. The price is not a fact about the chicken. It is the meeting point of two different minds reading the world differently.” (04/27/26)
- “The Wealth of Nations” and 250 Years of Economists Missing the Point
Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith & Gabriel F Benzecry“From trade policy to public debt, today’s economic debates echo those of 1776. The problem isn’t a lack of knowledge — it’s a failure to teach and apply enduring principles.” 904/27/26)
- Active Shooters Swimming in Big Tech’s Swamp of Hatred and Division
Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann“The attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Saturday night shouldn’t surprise us. Not only does America have the world’s most active small-arms industry that essentially controls the GOP (the reporters got a taste of what American — and only American — schoolkids experience every few months from their ‘realistic’ active shooter drills), but we also host the world’s largest and most profitable hate-amplification industry. Algorithms that amplify hate and division in order to “increase engagement” have made Mark Zuckerberg into one of the richest people on the planet, complete with a super-yacht and a doomsday bunker estate in Hawaii; Elon Musk’s X has turned into a sewer of Nazi-style rhetoric while Musk himself has posted, according to The Washington Post, nakedly white supremacist slogans and statements over 850 times just in the past seven months.” (04/27/26)
- Conscription Means Slavery, Not Unity
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Brad Pearce“While there is a disconnect between the general public and our professional warrior class, and one hears now and again that it would be good for our public to understand military life better, mandatory service would more likely create a false sense of understanding of our professional military that would be more irritating and divisive for everyone. Regarding the premise that mandatory service would build character, this is on its face nonsense.” (04/27/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/conscription-means-slavery-not-unity/
- Reason Roundtable, 04/27/26
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 04/27/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“COL. Lawrence Wilkerson – Did Iran or Trump Cave?” (04/27/26)
- Rising, 04/27/26
Source: The Hill
“Cole Tomas Allen manifesto revealed: WHCD suspect motivated by Epstein files?” (04/27/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 04/27/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Why The Debt Cannot Be Ignored!” (04/27/26)
- This War Is Going To Starve People
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“Caitlin and Tim discuss the global consequences the US-Israeli war on Iran is set to have on the weakest members of the poorest countries, the latest Trump assassination attempt, BBC headline shenanigans, and more.” (04/27/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/04/27/podcast-this-war-is-going-to-starve-people/
- EconTalk, 04/27/26
Source: EconTalk
“Claude, War, and the State of the Republic (with Dean Ball).” (04/27/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/claude-war-and-the-state-of-the-republic-with-dean-ball/
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 04/27/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Resiliency and Change | Interview: Liz Hoffman.” (04/27/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/resiliency-and-change-interview-liz-hoffman/
- Zooming In, 04/27/26
Source: The UnPopulist
“Where Will the GOP — and Where Should Democrats — Go After Trump: A Conversation with Jamelle Bouie.” (04/27/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/where-will-the-gopand-where-should
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 04/27/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Is on an Epic Losing Streak — and His Latest Is Truly Humiliating.” (04/27/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/209519/trump-epic-losing-streak-and-latest-truly-humiliating
- Fountainhead Forum, episode 440
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Tony D’Orazio on running for vice-chair of the Libertarian Party (USA).” (04/26/26)